The Accursed Paths of Pripyat
by SelvaBR
Summary: A third person realistic story about the experience of a lone stalker in the Zone, facing his fears,meeting others like him and making decisive choices along his path. Please leave your comment
1. Chapter 1 The Campfire

**=== UPDATING CHAPTER ===**

COMING REALLY SOON.


	2. Chapter 2 The Humble Station

**The Accursed Paths of Pripyat**

**Chapter 2 " The Humble Station "**

The station was some meters away from Slonim now , three days passed since his last passage trough that station,the same big house with worn red paint and wooden tablets on the windows. He holstered his old AK-74M and seeing the first drops of rain, quickened his pace towards the building entrance. After talking from a window with the station watch-guard, the heavy wooden doors opened and Slonim went inside.

It was an old brick house restored to serve as an "Sleep & Trade" station for the local stalkers, it was the only station within a radius of 8km. A perfect business for smart traders. The lobby furniture was made by a few chairs and tables that were almost always occupied by travellers. The fat man behind the counter was the responsible for running the place and also for trading supplies,a figure resembling vaguely Sidorovich.

Removing the hood that protected his head against the starting rain,Slonim approached the counter and left the strap of his backpack slipping slowly into ground. He nodded at the counterman and then took some worn equipment that he found in an old depot far from that station,he was willing to trade them in exchange for food,water,money and a bed for the night. The fat man checked the equipment without giving it too much credit:

" These weapons and ammo aren't in a good shape my friend, i can only give you half of the price ".

After a quick negotiation, the counterman accepted the trade and both shook hands. Slonim took his backpack from the floor and moved to the nearest empty chair where he rested for a while, after that,having experienced the strong smell of beef in the air,he ordered some bread,meat and beer for his dinner. Some minutes later, after pleased his stomach, he went upstairs in order to catch some sleep .

The rain began to fall and drown out the night noises that surrounded the station,sounds that would freeze the spine of anyone who was out. Some stalkers took places in the windows to see the rain and the lighting on the horizon, just as children watching it from their comfortable homes.

At morning, the station was much more noisy since most of the stalkers were awake chatting and trading at the hall. The rain didn't stop but it was getting weaker,it wouldn't take too long for it to cease. Slonim looked his watch and decided to move on, he picked up his stuff from the locker, drank two coups of hot coffee, pulled his green hood and went out the station.

He gave a quick look around and then to the grey cloudy sky that,slowly,was turning into blue. A deep breathe and a weapon magazine recheck preceded his first steps.

A dozen meters later, he passed trough the rails and went downhill following the tracks, his footsteps were not making any noise since the ground was well soaked by the rain. He walked some minutes until the station could no longer be seen from that point.

As the rain was stopping,Slonim stopped for a brief moment to scan the environment, looking to the rails and then to the horizon, he didn't notice anything strange, green vegetation, some abandoned houses in the distance, the railway ahead and the intense smell of wet grass. His only concern was about the tall grass that could hide dangerous creatures or bandits from his eyes.

Some steps later, he approached the entrance of the train-tunnel, the interior was so dark that it was only possible to see the first five meters inside. He gave a quick look at the rusty blue locomotive that was almost covering the entire tunnel entrance and then checked his echo detector for a second. It was whistling a little. He scanned the tunnel first meters with his weapon flashlight for a brief moment. Didn't noticing anything unusual, he took a long breathe and began to walk into the darkness.


	3. Chapter 3 The Tunnels Prologue

**The Accursed Paths of Pripyat**

**Chapter 3 " The Tunnels Prologue "**

The tunnel were so dark that Slonim's flashlight couldn't illuminate his front decently, He was a little nervous, obviously, after all, a dark place in the Zone is always a potential trap, specially if you are alone. He was walking with his weapon flashlight pointed towards and walking softly so he could hear clearly and avoid any unwanted noise. As he entered the tunnel the air got heavier, making it harder to breathe. Everything was quiet, with the exception of some moaning sounds that seemed to be far away but amplified by the broken pipes in the ceiling. Probably,it wouldn't take long for an ordinary person to run back.

Slonim was a common person, but he was a stalker, he was neither a new or an elite stalker, he was a former ukrainian soldier and he had been stalking in the Zone for 5 months by now. He knew that if you are planning to get into the Zone, you need, firstly, to known how to control your emotions, your imagination, your fears, that's why he kept walking forward without thinking too much. He knew that if he thought much, his brain would begin to compute numerous possibilities of danger, causing fear takes control over the body.

He was very deeply inside now. He could notice, through the spaces between the wagons, some metal doors on the other side of the rails. It was an advantage and a disadvantage at the same time having a huge train between him and the other path. Slonim chose the left side when he entered the tunnel. Suddenly his echo detector stopped whistling, forcing him to stop for a while. He held the butt of his AK with the press of his armpit and the magazine with his right hand, while he was, at the same time,checking the echo detector with his left one.

The echo detector started to malfunctioning, it was the only "weapon" against high radiation areas and anomalies, if the device had broke then Slonim would be stalking blindly. He replaced the batteries and slapped the device a little, for his surprise, it started to work again. A dozen passes later, the detector signal started to get stronger, Slonim looked at it and then scanned the place with his flashlight for a quick mind mapping, it was not in his plans to step into an anomaly by mistake. He returned his weapon's flashlight to the front and began to walk softly again, suddenly, in a bad steps exchange, Slonim stumbled, causing him to, accidentally, pull the trigger of his gun. The burst sound echoed through the entire tunnel, his heart almost came out his mouth

Luckily, he got only some few scratches on hands and elbows, his good reflexes prevented a worst tumble. Puffy, he quickly got up and began to aim toward the darkness ahead, moving towards the detector. He picked it up and noticed that it was still functioning. However if there was something in that tunnel,it would probably known that Slonim was coming. One more thing to worry about.


	4. Chapter 4 Fuelling the Fears

****The Accursed Paths of Pripyat ** **

**Chapter 4 " Fuelling the Fears "**

The adrenaline rush was making the aim shake a little but it was enough to ensure the death of anything that could cross Slonim's path. He stood in that position for almost a minute,staring the dark with his weapon, just waiting for something to make into his front,he didn't even changed the magazine since it was still heavy. The echo detector was leading him to a door on the right side of the tracks, for his bad luck he was at the left side of the rails, he had to climb the wagons to reach the other side because he couldn't pass between the gaps. Despite the small space between the wagon's roof and the tunnel ceiling, Slonim's good physical shape allowed him to perform the maneuver without much effort. He passed to the right side of the rails and next to it, he scanned the long dark straight of that side and noticed nothing, just the same image of the left side corridor, well...what could he expects from just switching sides ?.

The detector noise leaded Slonim to a metal door containing an unreadable phrase,he tried to open the door in numerous ways but it was closed or, probably,wedged from inside. He stood there for some seconds thinking about what to do, what to decide, but hes conscience remembered him that he had to think fast, tunnels weren't a safe place, specially because they were, almost all the time, filled with several Zone "natural killers".

The only solution was to make use of explosives, however,he was not carrying any plastic explosive and even if he was carrying any, blasting the door lock wouldn't be a prudent thing. Another option was to continue the path and try to find an optional way,though ,at that point,Slonim was very deep inside the tunnel and his instincts were not allowing him to continue, he knew how valuable the instincts can be on a situation like that.

He was just about to decide when another snap came from a wagon, he quickly aimed his weapon to the sound direction, his heart was beating fast, his body was ready to run back, yet he continued scouring the gaps with the flashlight for a while and noticed it was only the erosion on the metals. Relieved, but still agitated, he loosened a sigh of relief:

" ...Stupid place... It seems that it loves to play tricks on me... " Slonim muttered.

He didn't noticed but when he realized, he was going back... that locked metal door was far away from him at that point and for some reason the adrenaline started to pulse again, a place like that tunnel was a total fuel to people worst nightmares: strange noises coming from nowhere, ammo cartridges scattered all over the place, snaps from those rusty wagons and the unknown darkness hiding all the other things. Walking closely to the wall, Slonim could hear the snaps of pebbles made by his boots and keep thinking all that suspicious sounds were made by his imagination, he had no other options, he had to believe that it was his imagination.

Some steps later, he already could see the sunlight at the tunnel entrance, but this time, something made him crouch and douse his flashlight. Even though completely hidden in the darkness, Slonim squeezed what he could from his body against a small ledge on the wall. He stood there analysing four stalkers that appeared at the entrance of the tunnel. However, he was much more concerned with his back and even started to breathe slowly to reduce the noise and hear any possible sounds better. Still,he was so distant he couldn't understand what they were talking about. He stood there for a considerable time,some seconds were enough to make him less the pressure of his body against the wall, a slight sign of fatigue. If for some reason those men decided to illuminate the tunnel with a decent flashlight,they would probably see Slonim hidding inside.

He couldn't risk leaving the tunnel and face four, maybe three,but not four stalkers at the same time,even if he started shooting from inside the tunnel, it would not give him enough advantage over them. With some luck,they could be only a group of ordinary stalkers checking out that burst noise or the worst,looters roaming around for victims, anyway Slonim couldn't risk it. They got it for about twenty minutes and after one of them throw a cigarette on the ground and erased with his boots, they disappeared by the elevation. In fact, Slonim was not worried about them, but with the possible things that could emerge from the darkness directly on his back, he waited half a minute before starting to move again. He didn't light up his lantern since he could guide himself by the sunlight and the fresh air flow that was coming from outside.

So he left that tunnel ,breathless and weary, but not satisfied. He wouldn't have passed all that stress to be barred by a simple door, he would find a way to get that artifact, at least...that was what he was expecting to find behind that door...

**_"To be continued..."_**


	5. Chapter 5 A Past Far From Good

**The Accursed Paths of Pripyat **

**Chapter 5 " **A Past Far From Good** "**

_**Six months earlier...**_

Bogdan and his group were about 6 weeks in the Zone by now. However, they already knew well that distinct environment and those who inhabited it.

It was a cloudy evening when it started raining,anycone could clearly hear the drops clicking on the ground. They were at the gates of an old cement factory, staring at it. It was probably build decades ago. It had two floors,broken windows and several bullet holes on the walls, a common scene in the Zone, specially in pripyat.

The group observed it for a while, the enormous parking lot still had several old cars,what was a good to cover against shots..

" _Kiel,don't expose too much, we might not be the first ones in here..._ " Whispered Slonim with a calm expression.

Kiel was looking at the second floor of the building through the outer brick wall corner, when Slonim warned him, he gave another quick look to the second floor and them backed some paces, still close to the wall.

" _If there's a sharpshooter in that building, than we got lucky to be raining, it's possible that he didn't see us yet, if he is going to shoot, he will wait us to enter the parking lot to do so_. " Said Kiel in a tone slightly below normal.

"_ If there is someone inside, we will not see them from here,im not seeing or hearing anything besides this rain_ ." Said Choma after readjusting his dark-green M68 helmet.

" _Standing here is as dangerous as going to risk an assault, ladies... i go for scout, just cover my goddamn ass and i will be fine._ " Said Bogdan in a normal tone.

The rest quick looked him and nodded. Slonim and Kiel slowly moved to the wall corner exposing only the rifle and their heads achieving a good view of the building and maximum protection against possible snipers. Choma remained watching the group vicinity.

Bogdan quickly entered the parking lot towards the nearest car, seconds later, he moved to another car closer to the building and so on. He, just like the others, was a former military and knew how to do that cover-to-cover movements, even a good sniper would have a hard time trying to hit him. Anyway, if there was a sniper and he fired, Kiel or Slonim would probably get him from the gates.

He reached the factory main door and tried to open it, after noticing the door was locked, he waved to the others at the gate. Immediately Slonim made some hand signals to Choma and Kiel and started to move to Bogdan's position using the same cover-to-cover maneuver. Seconds later, Kiel and Choma regrouped with Slonim and Bogdan . Apparently there were nobody inside the building, it was dark inside but the few sun lights could illuminate a considerable part of it, revealing lots of scattered objects on the ground.

They were about to get into the building when Bodgan pulled them down to a nearby car. Already suspecting something, the others didn't say a word and instinctively looked towards the gate. A group of five stalkers were at the entrance, they were behaving just like Bogdan's group minutes before, scouring the building, checking for snipers and hiding again. Slonim and Bogdan gained a thoughtfully face as Kiel and Choma were analyzing the stationary cars, predicting the possible movements of those stalkers. Kiel was prone behind the hood, his AO-222 rifle was close to the front tire, pointed at the gates, while Choma was holding his AK-74 with the left hand and holding a hand grenade in the other, they were still hiding and unnoticed.

Unexpectedly, Bogdan and Slonim got up, deploying their weapons on the car roof and shouted "_ WHO GOES THERE !_ ". Choma turned his head above in an expression of doubt, then returned it to the sights of his gun. The stalkers that were at the gate, instantly dispersed and took cover in the outer brick walls. Adrenaline rushed into the bodies but Bogdan's group didn't shot, that could start an unnecessary fight, but they would not run away either.

Both teams remained in cover until some communication were established by shouting.

"_ What do you want here stalkers ! What's your business !_ " Shouted Bogdan still aiming to the brick walls.

" _We are just roaming around, nothing else ! ...we don't want to fight... we are leaving!..._ " Replied a distant voice from behind the walls.

A continuous trickle of water flowed over Slonim's face, he was the only not using a helmet,instead of it, a long hood with a mask,he wasn't even a little bothered with it, he was only concentrated on his weapon sight just as friends.

" _Are you still there...?_ " Shouted Slonim looking his sides as he could see trough the brick walls.

None responded, or the rain sounds drowned out the answer. Kiel and Choma continued aiming their rifles to the entrance, but Slonim were much more worried about the flanks, the walls.

" _Damn it, we cannot stand here the entire day waiting for them, they could be gone for reinforcements, someone must entry this freaking building and search for that fucking backpack now !_ " Said Choma in a worried tone.

" _Don't you noticed that the doors are locked? And that we cant pass trough the windows because of its frame?._" Replied Slonim with the same static face.

" _Blown up the fucking door then, what are you waiting for? a fucking poltergeist opens it and gives a welcome speech ?_ " Said Choma with a hostile tone of voice.

" _There must be another entries around the building, Slonim and Kiel stay here at the cars, Choma, on me..._ " Stated Bogdan before disappearing trough a corner.

Slonim nodded while giving a quick look at Kiel, he was still prone with the gun barrel close to the car front wheels, he was constantly adjusting his M68 helmet and looking at the gates beyond the parking lot.

" _Whatever chief, i can do this the entire day, if something appears on that bar-gate, man... it will be sorry._ " Stated Kiel.

In fact, Kiel was really an expert shooter,probably, one of the bests in the Zone, and he knew that.

He was so focused on his sight that Slonim felt that Kiel could kill an entire platoon if they walked through that gate. Unfortunately, Kiel was a common man, and men make mistakes.

_**" More coming in december/january**_... "


	6. Chapter 6 A Past Far From Good pt2

****The Accursed Paths of Pripyat ****

**Chapter 6 " ****A Past Far From Good**** pt.2 "**

Ten minutes later, Bognan and Choma came back from behind the building, Choma was carrying a heavy backpack and had a goofy grin on his face .

" We got it fellas, it's all here. " Said Choma.

" Good." stated Slonim.

" I'm a natural echo detector bro. " Replied Choma.

Slonim eyes diverted to Bogdan who was passing in front of Choma imposingly.

" Cut the bullshit, get you legs moving! . " Ordered Bogdan in a strong tone.

" Yes sir... " murmured Choma in a tone of mockery.

Slonim remained with no expression, but got apparentlly happy when he could rest his shoulders from the car roof. Kiel did the same,getting up and briefly stretching his muscles.

After a quick look at the area, they scoured the parking lot once more, and started to move in a scattered formation across the vehicles.

Bognan aproached the walls and then the bargate, he leaned his body to see the outskirts without being exposed to any eventual danger. Noticing anything strange, he bowed to cross the bargate,looking at the sides once again.

The yellowed dense vegetation made the way backhome not a hard task, it was easy to hide in those bushes even for unexperienced stalkers. The group crossed a large area without being noticed by any possible threat. Kiel and Bogdan were specialists in camouflage and the rest of the team had similar skills.

Minutes later, the group were climbing a small hill to achieve the road, slowed down by the muddy terrain. The idea was not to return to home using the road, but use it as a guide route. The roads could be a safe place against mutants, on the other hand, they were crowded with bandits.

" Crap, there's too much mud on my boots, " Complained Choma while skating some steps .

" Next time get a decent pair of boots... and dont lose the bag or i will cut your head off... " Stated Slonim.

The group stood some meters back, hidden in bushes and trees, waiting Bogdan return.

The rain was starting to get heavier again, making the way off-road a nightmare. The mix silvered-gold sky was beatifull to see in contrast to all that mud.

" ... I would not get surprise if i see a mud monster walking by. " Commented Choma with a slight nod.

" At least it would not be as bad as come across with a bloodsucker. Damn rain, my suit is soaked as hell and im almost sure that i've lost some equipment because of it. " Stated Slonim checking some pockets.

Suddently, Bogdan appeared on the elevation, cleverly sliding down towards the group through the mud.

" Let's move out, there's a house on the other side of the road, let's use it as a temporary cover. " Said Bogdan a few meters above the rest.

For some reason, Slonim and Choma did not like the idea, Kiel didn't say a word about it, only nodded his head and got up from the bushes.

The group crossed the road trough that rain that was almost creating a barrier among them. Some steps later, they were inside a little burned house near the roadside.

" Crap, finally i can rest my back, oh shit... " Said Choma while slidding back on the ground and tumbling head back, leaning it on the wall.

" We didn't reach the finish line dude, don't get yourself too confortable yet. " Said Slonim while watching the outside from a broken window.

Kiel and Bogdan were still wearing their closed masks and holding their weapons closely, near the door.

Twenty minutes passed since they stopped in that house,the rain was getting weaker as the time was passing by, but still stronger enough to make them stay covered.

" Get your asses up, let's get going ... " Ordered Bogdan while looking to the others.

" Are you fucking crazy Bogdan? , it's still raining out there. " Stated Slonim.

Kiel slowly appeared from a room on the other side of the house, watching Choma and Slonim. That one quickly wrapped up the boots and pulled his bag with the artifacts.

" You heard the man Slonim, we really need to get going ." Said Kiel with a tired tone of voice.

The group went of the house in a quick passed walking trough that rain, some meters later Bogdan ordered the group to stop.

" What now? You known its not in my hobby list to wait in the rain, chief. " Said Choma .

Bogdan turned his head to Slonim and Choma, it was not a common behaviour from that man, he was different since the group crossed that road.

" It was a pleasure to serve with you guys... " Said Bogdan.

" What...? " Replied Choma without understanding what was happening.

Hearing, that from Bogdan, Slonim turned on his feet and shot who was behind him. Slonim's AK-74M bullets crossed Kiel's chest like a knife cutting butter, making him fall to the ground in a pool of blood. However, Slonim still had Bogdan on his back.

It was impossible to get out unscathed. That was the last thing that thought Slonim, before falling unconscious on the mud.


	7. Chapter 7 A Past Far From Good pt3

****The Accursed Paths of Pripyat ****

**Chapter 7 " ****A Past Far From Good**** pt.3 "**

A man covered in mud rises from the water as someone who was drowning. His eyes were reflecting the constant lightning, his face was covered in clay and hair drained from the face. Soaked and confused. He just realized that he was sitting on a pool of water. To his side there was a man faced down in a puddle of bloody water, It was Choma, with a body full of bullet holes. So far, Slonim had no idea why he had survived the shooting, the holes in his vest were soon checked by his fingers. Apparently, a ceramic chestplate held most of the shots, but not all. Some shots had penetrated the vest lightly, causing bleeding and pain.

Looking at the surroundings, seeing only a blurry darkness, he stumbled a few steps looking for shelter, a small house, the same one where he and his team had stopped moments earlier. The building was humid, cold and empty. Slonim was still confused, dazed and wounded, a bit more and he would be begging for a bullet in the head.The worst thing was not the pain, but it's effects, which were preventing him from thinking properly.

A corner wall was his best friend now, he was tryng to protect from the cold, he pulled some newspapers to cover himself, but those were too much humid, making the idea useless. Still in shock, could'nt think of anything, including the cold.

His arms were folded against his chest, his eyes were looking at the ground, almost without any shining. The body was there, suffering the physical pain, but the mind was still away, trying to assimilate what had happened.

Before the first sun rays could appear trough the broken windows, Slonim, still semi-unconscious, heared heavy footsteps coming towards the house, his eyes rose towards the door, a flash illuminated his face in that instant, the legs were heavy, just as the rest of the body. Recognizing the seriousness of his condition, he accepted the fact that he could'nt do anything for himself at that moment.

Seconds later, a strong flash of light appeared at the door, blinding Slonim as the sound of heavy boots flooded the dark room. For a brief moment, nothing is heard, and then some footsteps echoed through the room.

"Who are you? What is your name?" Said a silhouette with a slightly robotic voice behind the light.

Slonim failed to say something short and could barely let his hands raised to protect his face from the excessive light.

"Are you ukrainian? Know what I am saying?" Said the same voice with an impatient tone.

"Yes .." Muttered Slonim with difficulty because of his dry throat.

"Sova, give him some water." Said the silhouette.

Immediately, another figure came up alongside, revealing a man in heavy armor. He took out a canteen and poured some water into Slonim's mouth, who accepted without resistance.

"What are you doing here, so near Pripyat without a proper suit ? Why are you hurt?" continued to ask the silhouette behind the light.

"My name is ... Slonim, and I'm just a loner ... I've been hurt in a fight and my friends ran away, leaving me here." Said Slonim with some effort.

The light is finally deviated from Slonim and the silhouette gave away place to a group of men, using heavy armor and eastern weaponry.

"You my friend, was lucky not to be one of those swine foreigners attending the Zone." Said one of the men in heavy armor.

The group used the flag of Ukraine on the uniform, similar to the army, but anyone could clearly see that they were not from the army.

"Can you walk?" Asked one man.

"I'm afraid not for too long." said Slonim.

"Well, one of my men can help you... you got lucky that we're getting away of this location."

Slonim had nothing to lose, his condition was serious, without those men, he would probably bleed to death.


End file.
